1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag device for an automotive vehicle. An air bag device is installed in a space inside an instrument panel or dashboard to protect an occupant of a passenger seat in a front passenger compartment during a collision of the automotive vehicle. The air bag is inflated from a folded state adjacent a reaction can during the collision.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air bag device including a reaction can is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,300. This patent shows that the reaction can is closed by a cover during ordinary conditions. During a collision, the air bag is inflated due to a chemical reaction in the reaction can and the bag unfolds outwardly from the reaction can to open the cover and project into the passenger compartment.
There are two methods of installing an air bag into the reaction can. The first method is to fix the rim of the air bag to an opening of the reaction can and then to fold the air bag into the reaction can. The second method is accomplished by first folding the air bag and then installing the folded air bag into the reaction can. The second method is preferable because of the ease in assembly. In the second method, it is preferable to install the air bag into an inside of a ring frame to which the rim of the air bag is previously fixed for ease in assembly.
The prior art has a problem that when the air bag is assembled into the reaction can, a part of the folded air bag may get between the ring frame and the reaction can. In other words, a problem can occur during installation of the ring frame into the reaction can because a lapel or portion of the folded air bag is located near the fixing point between the ring frame and the reaction can. One solution to this problem is that careful assembly during installation of the air bag can sometime prevent this occurrence, however, this increases the complexity of the assembly and the installation time, thereby making it uneconomical.